A search warrant affidavit filed by the FBI details observations of multiple small plastic bags containing a white crystal-like substance inside the white Ford Transit cargo van driven by Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, a Mexican national who was shot and killed by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in Houston, Texas on July 7.
FBI Special Agent David McNeilly authored the affidavit, which was submitted to a federal magistrate judge in the Southern District of Texas. The document sought authorization to search the van for controlled substances and cited probable cause for offenses including distribution, manufacturing, or possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance, as well as simple possession.
McNeilly described arriving at the scene after the shooting and inspecting the vehicle while remaining outside it. He reported observing in plain view “several plastic bags with what appeared to be a white crystal-like substance packaged in small plastic bags.”
Specific locations included four bags visible through the windows, three bags in the middle of the dashboard between the driver and passenger sides, and another bag on the passenger-side floorboard.
“The packaging and appearance of the controlled substance in the target vehicle is consistent with methamphetamine,” the affidavit stated. It further noted that the observations aligned with how controlled substances may be packaged for distribution, manufacturing, and possession, based on the agent’s training and experience. The warrant application included photographs of bags on the vehicle’s dashboard.
“The United States is currently gathering all facts related to this incident, including what may have caused the occupants of the vehicle to flee,” McNeilly added. The substances had not received laboratory confirmation at the time of the filing, and the document reflected visual assessment only.
The FBI executed or planned to execute the search of the van. As of July 15, 2026, no public confirmation of laboratory testing results for the observed substance had been released.
BREAKING: 3 bags believed to contain meth were l found inside the van of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, the Mexican national killed in the ICE shooting in Houston, according to a federal search warrant affidavit. @FoxNews
According to the search warrant, the three plastic bags… pic.twitter.com/vSniYivGEz
— Brooke Taylor (@Brooketaylortv) July 15, 2026
The fatal shooting took place when Salgado Araujo, a 52-year-old Mexican national and construction worker, was driving the van with three passengers, including his brother, en route to a job site. ICE agents were conducting a targeted enforcement operation at the time and began following the van.
According to the Department of Homeland Security, neither Salgado Araujo nor the other men in the vehicle were the intended targets of the operation. The van refused to stop and drove over a median in an apparent attempt to flee before being stopped.
DHS and ICE described the shooting as an act of self-defense. Officials stated that Salgado Araujo “weaponized his vehicle,” rammed it into an ICE car, and attempted to run over an ICE officer, who then shot Salgado Araujo in self-defense. The shot struck him in the abdomen, officials said.
Salgado Araujo was transported to Ben Taub Hospital, where he later died. No toxicology results regarding substances in his system have been publicly released as of this report.
